Amanda Brecht
Deputy Branch Chief/Research Scientist
Affiliation: NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)
Division: Space Science and Astrobiology Division (ST)
Branch: Planetary Systems Branch (STT)
Email: amanda.s.brecht@nasa.gov
Professional Biography
Amanda works with the Mars Climate Modeling Center (MCMC) at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC). She specifically is working on extending the Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM) to incorporate the middle atmosphere and is interested in how this deeper domain impacts climate cycles, seasonal mean fields, and large-scale wave activity with insight into large and regional scale circulations. Her initial start in the space science field was her summer undergraduate research assistantship with Dr. Janet Luhmann at Space Science Laboratory in Berkeley. She worked on simulating ionized gas tori around Saturn and creating “fly-through” predictions for the Cassini spacecraft. Amanda’s next adventure, as a graduate student at University of Michigan, was working with the Venus Thermospheric General Circulation Model (VTGCM) alongside her advisor Dr. Stephen Bougher. Her focus was to understand the variables that drive Venus’ middle and upper atmosphere structure and climate dynamical processes. After completing her Ph.D. on Venus, Amanda turned her attention to Mars as a NASA Postdoctoral Program fellow with Dr. Jeff Hollingsworth at NASA ARC. There she began her work by extending the MGCM from the lower atmosphere to the middle atmosphere (~120 km). Currently, she continues to advance her Mars and Venus modeling at NASA ARC to provide context and understanding of observations in support of planetary missions.
Education
University of California, Santa Cruz 2005, B. S. Earth Science: Planetary Science
University of Michigan, 2007, M. S. Atmospheric and Space Science
University of Michigan, 2011, Ph. D. Atmospheric and Space Science
Research Interests
Characterizing and understanding planetary atmospheres (e.g., Venus and Mars) by conducting complex theoretical investigations with General Circulation models/Global Climate Models (GCM) regarding the structure, dynamics, and composition of planetary atmospheres. More specifically, investigating potential drivers of variability and how different regions of a planetary atmosphere are dynamically connected and impacted. This includes forcing from the surface, the middle atmosphere, and from the space environment.
Keywords: Planetary science, planetary atmospheres, Venus, Mars, general circulation models, global climate models, comparative planetology
Select Publications
Kahre, M. A., R. M. Haberle, R. J. Wilson, R. A. Urata, K. E. Steakley, A. S. Brecht, T. Bertrand, A. Kling, C. M. Batterson, V. Hartwick, C. E. Harman, L. Gkouvelis, The NASA Ames legacy Mars global climate model: Radiation code error correction and new baseline water cycle simulation, Icarus, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2023.115561, (2023).
Giles, R., T. K. Greathouse, P. G. J. Irwin, T. Encrenaz, A. Brecht, Three-dimensional structure of thermal waves in Venus’ mesosphere from ground-based observations, Icarus, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115187, (2022).
Brecht, A. S., S. H. Brecht, J. Luhmann, J. Bellan, K. Jessup, T. Navarro, S. Lebonnois, S. W. Bougher, Y. Ma, H. Parish, Closing the Gap Between Theory and Observations of Venus Atmospheric Dynamics with New Measurements, Decadal Survey on Planetary Science, Bulletin of the AAS, Vol. 53, Issue 4, e-id. 100, doi: 10.3847/25c2cfeb.2c8c0bbc, (2021).
Parkinson, C. D., S. W. Bougher, F. P. Mills, Y. L. Yung, A. S. Brecht, D. Shields, M. Liemohn, Modeling of Observations of the OH Nightglow in the Venusian Mesosphere, Icarus, 368, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2021.114580 , (2021).
Brecht, A. S., S.W. Bougher, D. Shields, H. Liu, C. Lee, Planetary-scale Wave Impacts on the Venusian Upper Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere, J. Geophys. Res.: Planets, doi: 10.1029/2020JE006587, (2020).
Haberle, R. M., ….. A. S. Brecht, ….et al., Documentation of the NASA/Ames Mars Global Climate Model: Simulations of the Present Seasonal Water Cycle, Icarus, (2019).
Bougher, S. W., A. S. Brecht, R. Schulte, J. –L. Fischer, C. D. Parkinson, A. Mahieux, V. Wilquet, A. –C. Vandaele, Upper Atmosphere Temperature Structure at the Venusian Terminators: A Comparison of SOIR and VTGCM Results, Pl. Space Sci., 113-114, 336-346, (2015).
Gilli, G., M. López-Valverde, J. Peralta, S. Bougher, A. Brecht, P. Drossart, G. Piccioni, Carbon Monoxide and Temperature in the Upper Atmosphere of Venus from VIRTIS/Venus Express non-LTE Limb Measurements, Icarus, 248,478-498, (2015).
Zalucha, A. M., A. S. Brecht, S. Rafkin, S. W. Bougher, and M. J. Alexander, Incorporation of a Gravity Wave Momentum Deposition Parameterization into the Venus Thermospheric General Circulation Model (VTGCM), J. Geophys. Res., 118, 1-14, (2013).
Gagné, M-E., S. Melo, A. S. Brecht, S. W. Bougher, K. Strong, Modeled O2 Nightglow emission Distributions in the Venusian Atmosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 117, E12002, (2012).
Brecht, A., and S.W. Bougher, Dayside Thermal Structure of Venus’ Upper Atmosphere Characterized by a Global Model, J. Geophys. Res., 117, E08002, (2012).
Brecht, A., S. W. Bougher, J.-C. Gérard, L. Soret, Atomic Oxygen Distributions in the Venus Thermosphere: Comparisons Between Venus Express Observations and Global Model Simulations, Icarus, 117, 759-766, (2012).
Brecht, A., S. W. Bougher, J.-C. Gérard, C. Parkinson, S. Rafkin, and B. Foster,
Understanding the Variability of Nightside Temperatures, NO UV and O2 IR Nightglow emissions in the Venus Upper Atmosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 116, E08004, (2011).
Selected Conference Proceedings
Brecht, A. S., Bougher, S. W., and Parkinson, C. D., (2018) “Latest on the Venus Thermospheric General Circulation Model: Capabilities and Simulations” Venera-D Venus Modelling Workshop, Moscow, Russian Federation.
Brecht, A. S., Bougher, S. W., Stiepen, A., Soret, L., and Gerard, L. (2015) “Twinkling Lights in the Nightside Upper Atmosphere: How Nightglow Contributes to our Understanding of Global Dynamics”, Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets II: Understanding How Climate Systems Work, Moffett Field, CA, USA.
Brecht, A. S., Kahre, M., Haberle, R., Hollingsworth, J., and Lefevre, F. (2015) “Coupling photochemistry to the NASA Mars Climate Modeling Center 3D Mars Global Circulation Model”, European Planetary Science Congress, Nantes, France, id.EPSC2015-420, vol.10.
Brecht, A. S., Hollingsworth, J., Kahre, M., and Schaeffer, J. (2014) “Exploring Mars’ Atmosphere from the Surface to Middle Atmosphere: NASA Ames Mars General Circulation Model”, Fifth International Workshop on the Mars Atmosphere: Modelling and Observations, Oxford, UK.
Awards & Others
Rackham Engineering Award Recruiting Fellowship, University of Michigan (2005 – 2008)
Teaching Fellowship (Office of Engineering Outreach and Engagement, University of Michigan) (2007-2008)
NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at NASA Ames Research Center (2011 – 2013)
Outstanding Early Career Space Scientist Lecture, NASA Ames Space Science & Astrobiology Division Jamboree (2019)